E-Paper
Why did KARE 11 make Jana Shortal's ‘Breaking The News’ digital only? Major shakeup after Arch Manning row
KARE 11 shifts Jana Shortal's 'Breaking The News' to digital-only on KARE 11+ starting Oct 5 at 5:30pm. 6pm news expands to 1 hour; Shortal reacts emotionally.
Prefer HTon Google
A decision by Twin Cities NBC affiliate KARE 11 has raised eyebrows and raised a lot of questions. 'Breaking The News,' hosted by Jana Shortal since 2016, has been made digital-only, the veteran news anchor announced on Monday.
'Breaking The News' aired at 6:30pm CDT every weekday after the 6pm CDT news broadcast and enjoyed significant popularity among Minnesota viwers. It will start airing at 5:30pm CDT on the KARE 11+ platform starting October 5, the broadcaster announced. On KARE 11, the 6pm news broadcast will be expanded to one hour instead of the previous 30 minutes.
Shortal has been a controversial figure at KARE 11. Recently, her criticism of Texas Longhorn quarterback Arch Manning for laughing at an AI-generated video of his coach, Steve Sarkisian, slapping ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe, sparked a huge row.
Also read: Lisa Kennedy announces engagement on ‘The Five’: Who is Fred, the Fox host's fiancé?
Why Was Jana Shortal's Show Moved?
The move has been described by KARE 11 as a strategic push to grow the digital audience. The broadcaster has cited a 104% jump in streaming minutes in 2025 and plans to push 18 hours of original content daily on the KARE 11+ digital platform. Making Breaking The News digital only is part of the strategy.
“The move reflects KARE 11’s broader strategy to offer more live local content on connected TVs, streaming apps and mobile,” KARE 11 said. “Our original programming is reaching new audiences through streaming in ways we couldn’t have imagined.”
Jana Shortal Reacts To KARE 11 Move
Jana Shortal reacted to the move by KARE 11, and she looked visibly upset as she addressed her viewers via a video on social media.
"KARE 11 has made the decision to take Breaking the News off the air at the end of this week, concluding our time together on broadcast TV on this show after nearly 11 years," Shortal said. "But that said, this work will continue as our show will move to streaming on KARE 11+ weekdays at 5:30, early next month. I am so proud of the show we were able to produce with the team who did it for one reason and that was you.
"We laughed and cried together and we covered some of the most consequential events in Minnesota history. It has been the honor of my career to do this show on this station with you and I hope you'll come with us next month to streaming," she continued. "For now I just want to say thank you.
“You absolutely made all of my television dreams come true by watching Breaking the News,” she added. "It has been the honor of a lifetime. Please share this video so everyone can find out from me."
